1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an absorbable sponge, and more particularly, the invention relates to the delivery of a contrasting agent to a specific area or site in a mammal after a surgical or interventional procedure. The contrasting agent facilitates the location of the area or site even weeks or months after the initial procedure.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Percutaneous needle biopsy of solid organs is one of the most common interventional medical procedures. Millions of percutaneous needle biopsies are performed annually in the United States and throughout the world. Percutaneous biopsy is a safe procedure which has supplanted surgical biopsy for many indications, such as skin biopsy and liver biopsy.
Possible complications of needle biopsy include bleeding at the biopsy site. The amount of bleeding is related to a number of factors including needle size, tissue sample size, patient's coagulation status, and the location of the biopsy site. Vascular organs such as the liver, a common biopsy target, may bleed significantly after needle biopsy.
Sterile sponges, such as GELFOAM, are prepared in dry sterile sheets which are used as packing material during surgery for control of bleeding. The sponge sheets are left in the surgical site after surgery to stop bleeding and are absorbed by the body. A number of techniques have used these absorbable sterile sponge materials to plug a biopsy tract to minimize or prevent bleeding. The absorbable sponge provides a mechanical blockage of the tract, encourages clotting, and minimizes bleeding though the biopsy tract.
During the biopsy, a mechanic clip device is often attached to the site where tissue is removed, so that if further treatment is later required the location of the site can be identified. Unfortunately, the time period between the biopsy and treatment may be weeks during which time the clip may become dislodged thereby making it difficult to relocate the site.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a reliable technique for identifying biopsy sites or puncture wound sites.